NEPHTHYS IS THE EGYPTIAN GODDESS OF THE DEAD. HER NAME MEANS "MISTRESS OF THE HOUSE" IN THE EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE. SHE HAS ALSO BEEN CALLED THE "FRIEND OF THE DEAD". NEPHTHYS IS THE SHADOW OF HER SISTER ISIS AND RULES OVER THE DARKNESS AND THE SECRETS OF DEATH. SHE IS THE PROTECTOR OF SOULS AND THE QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD.

SHE IS USUALLY DEPICTED AS A WOMAN WITH THE HEIROGLYPHIC SYMBOLS OF HER NAME SITUATED ATOP OF HER HEAD; THIS WOULD BE A BASKET AND A HOUSE. SHE HAS ALSO BEEN DEPICTED AS A BIRD....A FALCON OR A HAWK. THROUGHOUT ANCIENT EGYPT, SHE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FUNERARY RITUALS AND WAS NOT REVERED AS DEATH ITSELF, BUT INSTEAD AS A COMPANION WHO OFFERS GUIDANCE TO THE NEWLY DECEASED AND COMFORT TO THE LIVING RELATIVES.

IN MOST ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MYTHS, SHE IS INTRODUCED TO US AS THE DAUGHTER OF NUT, SISTER OF ISIS AND OSIRIS, AND THE SISTER CONSORT OF THE GOD, SET. LATER MYTHS PROCLAIM HER TO BE THE MOTHER OF ANUBIS. HIS FATHER WAS OSIRIS. SOME MYTHS SAY THAT SHE INTOXICATED OSIRIS AND SEDUCED HIM. STILL OTHER MYTHS SAY THAT SHE DISGUISED HERSELF AS ISIS AND BECAME PREGNANT FROM HIM. IT WAS HER ADULTERY THAT ENRAGED SET AND BECAME HIS MOTIVE FOR SLAYING OSIRIS. AND AFTERWARDS, SHE ONCE AGAIN BETRAYED SETH BY LEAVING HIM TO JOIN ISIS IN THE SEARCH FOR OSIRIS BODY PARTS.

ALTHOUGH LINKED WITH DEATH AND DECAY, SHE ALSO HAD CONNECTIONS WITH LIFE AS WELL. IT IS SAID THAT, AS A COMFORTER, SHE STOOD AT THE HEAD OF THE BED TO OFFER COMFORT AND ASSISTANCE TO THE MOTHER WHO WAS GIVING BIRTH...WHILE ISIS STOOD AT THE FOOT OF THE BED TO MIDWIFE THE CHILD. IN FACT, THE TWO SISTERS WERE OFTEN FOUND TOGETHER, AND THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD BE TOLD APART WAS BY THE HIEROGLYPH ON THEIR HEADS.

YEMAYA IS A WEST AFRICAN MOTHER GODDESS. HER FOLLOWING LATER SPREAD TO THE WEST INDIES AND BRAZIL AS WELL AS SOME PARTS OF EUROPE. SHE IS A GODDESS OF SEA, AND THE MOTHER OF ALL LIFE BECAUSE THE SEA IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE. SHE IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CRESCENT MOON, THE OCEAN, SEAS AND LAKES, DREAMS, ANCIENT WISDOM, AND FEMALE MYSTERIES. SHE IS USUALLY PORTRAYED AS BEAUTIFUL WOMAN, THE ULTIMATE SYMBOL OF MOTHERHOOD. HER BREASTS ARE FULL AND LARGE FROM GIVING BIRTH TO SO MANY DIFFERENT CREATIONS. SHE IS A FIERCE PROTECTOR OF WOMEN, SO IF YOU OR YOUR DAUGHTER FIND YOURSELF IN SOME SORT OF DANGER, BE SURE TO CALL ON YEMAYA FOR PROTECTION.

YEMAYA IS OFTEN DEPICTED AS EMERGING FROM THE SEA COVERED IN SHELLS. THE COWRIE SHELL IS HER SYMBOL, AND FISH ARE SACRED TO HER. SHE IS THE KEEPER OF THE FEMALE MYSTERIES AND GUARDIAN OF WOMEN EVERYWHERE. IT IS SAID THAT THE FIRST TIME SHE WALKED UPON THE EARTH, FOUNTAINS WHICH LATER BECAME THE RIVERS AND LAKES SPRANG UP WHEREVER SHE WALKED. SEA SHELLS FROM WHICH HER PRIESTESSES COULD HEAR THE VOICE OF THE UNIVERSE WERE AMONG HER FIRST GIFTS TO HER PEOPLE.

HER COLORS ARE BLUE, SILVER, AND WHITE...JUST LIKE HER BELOVED WATERS. HER JEWELS INCLUDE CRYSTALS AND PEARLS. WEAR PEARLS OR CRYSTAL BEAD TO INVOKE HER. SHE IS CELEBRATED ON FEBRUARY 2ND WHEN LETTERS OF REQUEST TO YEMAYA ARE TOSSED INTO THE OCEAN, AND DECEMBER 31ST WHEN OFFERINGS ARE MADE TO HER. SHE WILL BLESS YOU IF YOU MAKE OFFERINGS OF COPPER TO HER; SHE LOVES SHINY NEW PENNIES. IF YOU MAKE A CANDLE OFFERING TO HER, BE SURE TO PUT THREE SHINY PENNIES WITH THE CANDLE FOR EXTRA ENERGY. INVOKE YEMAYA FOR BLESSINGS, WISDOM, FERTILITY, MOTHERHOOD, SEA SPELLS, WATER MAGIC, AND PROTECTING YOUR HOME.